Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Now it's
officially Christmas season; I heard Shu-bi-dua's Christmas song - Nu det' Jul
- on the radio this morning. Shu-bi-dua is a Danish group from way back,
currently on hold because the lead singer had a blood clot to the brain but is
recovering. He says that like a Shubinator, he'll be back. JUL is pronounced
Yule - you probably guessed - so it's a true Yuletide carol.

Shu-bi-dua's
Christmas song was the first Danish pop Christmas carol I heard when I got here
in 1973 & it's classic:

"Jesus
is born on the second floor / of Magasin du Nord (the classiest Copenhagen
department store)
He waves when you press a foot pedal / says Good Day to his mother."

Jesus bliver født på anden
sal / i Magasin du Nord

Han vinker når du trykker
på en fodpedal / siger Goddag til sin mor.

That rhymes
in Danish, of course & charms in any language. Such a good summing up of
our western Christian tradition: the birth of Christ & all out consumerism.
Most stores have Santas, with or without the elves, but the birth of Christ IS
still there somewhere & kids still learn about it in school. I hope that
does not change. No matter what beliefs all the parents of any given school
class may have, this is the one that formed Western civilization. Even the
shopping for gifts nobody really needs & half the time can't afford might
remind us that it's somebody's birthday, somebody big.

I found the coolest
fold-out & stand-up children's book in the gift shop of the National
Gallery. You might know it's originally Italian; there they still do the whole
Nativity scene in unabashed Renaissance style, angels all over the place, where Danes & Americans are
more restrained - or self-conscious? Can't wait to go through it with the
grandchildren. I've got The Night Before Christmas in fold-out too but this
Italian number is really a work of art. Like the Shu-bi-dua Christmas song, that also mentions God's small angels - who might just be regular kids looking forward to Christmas.
Funny thing is - most of the Danes I know don't feel Christmas is officially
here until they hear Last Christmas by Wham. Okay - a bunch of us old bats
ogled George Michael until he made public his sexual orientation, but for me
it's Shu-bi-dua every year.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Reading up
to be 'exam censor' in January at the maritime academy where I taught English for a couple of years & now get called in sometimes
as the second opinion at oral exams.

The articles are all about the latest developments on the high seas. Shipping is
a huge international project that has often been criticized for polluting the
air & ocean, & introducing invasive species that take over the
defenseless areas where they land. All true BUT shipping is cleaning up its act
fast. The IMO - International Maritime Organization - has imposed hefty
restrictions on emissions, ballast water dumping & handling of the heavy
fuel oil that still powers most large container ships. Actually, it's more like
tar, the gloopiest residue from the bottom of the refining tank. Technology is hurrying
to comply with all the rules & change the whole game - from slower
steaming, Sky Sails to catch the wind & reduce fuel consumption, liquefied natural
gas as fuel, exhaust scrubbers & oil filtration.

Truly
impressed by this Shipping News - GOOD NEWS!

Then I read
my mail from Avaaz, the watchdog online petition gang, & that was the BAD
NEWS.

Once again Wikileaks
has broken a story that the creeps who run Monsanto, among other heartless multinationals, hoped would never make it
into the light. It's called TTP.

The Trans-Pacific
Partnership is a huge, ultra-secret deal among twelve major countries & especially major corporations. It would allow them to sue our governments for passing laws that
protect us, but reduce their profits! This could apply to everything
from labeling GMO foods to protecting internet freedom.

The leaked
Trans-Pacific Partnership drafts read like a big fat Christmas wish-list for
big business. A system of courts could be used to limit access to cheap generic medicines in favor of brand names & even allow cigarette companies to sue governments
over health regulations that they say threaten profits! It’s almost too crazy
to be true. No wonder Monsanto & Co. are keeping mum.

Good going Wikileaks! Leaked texts have
shocked politicians & citizens from Chile, New Zealand & Australia. They
are pushing back on the corporate bullying. Three
out of 12 sounds pretty lame, but it would seemingly be enough to unbalance the
deal. Maybe others would see the error of their ways then.

I signed
that petition immediately & fired off emails to ministers in Australia
& New Zealand. Hope it all does some good. I would like the new spirit of
corporate social responsibility to be more than a myth, but can't take it
seriously just yet.

So - the
shipping news is good. Boycott Monsanto & ship with Maersk! There must be
some good guys out there in business. Not? Um ... maybe not ...

About Me

New to blogging, but I’ve been around now for 66 years, still curious, still (relatively) upbeat, still can’t keep quiet. Been around a lot, living first in America, then in Denmark and never actually working in my originally chosen field. Might have been more prosperous if I had, but doing all the other stuff has been a lot more interesting. So – wise? Can’t say. Scrappy – I’ll say – and I’m going to with this blog.